Fandral Staghelm
, Traitor / Prisoner of the Cenarion Circle | location = Cenarion Enclave, Darnassus, Stormrage Barrow Dens | status = Alive | health = 5,578,000 | mana = 85,160 | relatives = (son, deceased) }} Fandral Staghelm is the Archdruid of Darnassus, succeeding , who was lost in the Emerald Nightmare. He is in a constant power struggle with , High Priestess of Elune, for leadership of the night elf people, and was one of the architects of the plan to create Teldrassil. Staghelm is among the most ancient of the remaining night elves, having been born about a thousand years after the Sundering (making him over 9,000 years old). Fandral towers most other night elves, standing close to 8 feet in height. He uses this height to his advantage both in battle and conversation, seeking to intimidate all those around him with his massive stature. Staghelm follows many of the beliefs of the ancient night elves, and one in particular has made him unpopular — Fandral is a staunch night elf supremacist, and he believes that night elves are the only true druids, as well as the superior race on the planet. See List of Darnassus NPCs. Biography Fandral Staghelm was born about a thousand years after the Great Sundering (making him over 9,000 years old). Fandral was one of 's top lieutenants, and trained many of the newest generation of the Druids of the Wild. His hot temperament has sometimes clashed with the more restrained Malfurion. Fandral believes that the future of the night elves demands more expansionism and military planning. His radical beliefs and aggressive demeanor often lead him to quarrel with Tyrande, the official head of the night elf government. War of the Shifting Sands The children of , the Qiraji, had spent thousands of years building an army capable of exacting revenge upon the whole of Kalimdor and now the prize was within their grasp. The Titans had long since vacated this world. Only the night elves that once inhabited this area were here to defend. A mighty qiraji known as would command the initial incursion into Silithus. Only one would stand in his way: The clever night elf archdruid known as Fandral Staghelm. They refer to him as "Kar'sis" or Hand of Earth in the native qiraji tongue. Staghelm and his armies were clearly overwhelmed as the endless flow of Rajaxx's troops poured into Silithus. It would seem as if Staghelm, however, was more than just a nuisance to the qiraji. Under Staghelm, the whole of the night elf armies had come together to defend Kalimdor, greatly slowing the qiraji forces. Unfortunately, the night elven defense was untenable and Rajaxx knew that they could not hold out much longer. Their tenacity, however, was causing great frustration to Rajaxx and causing even more frustration to his kings. and , known as the Twin Emperors of Ahn'Qiraj, watched the war from the sanctuary of their temple. The clever brothers devised a plan to demoralize and divide Staghelm's forces. served as the right hand of his father Fandral. A proud and noble warrior, Valstann's dedication and adoration for his father was unyielding — which the Emperors sensed as a weakness that could be exploited. The qiraji forces were commanded to fall back and hide the bulk of their numbers beneath the sands of the desert. A small attack was ordered upon Southwind Village while the front lines of Staghelm's army were kept occupied. Valstann, eager to please his father, convinced Fandral to allow him to take a small battalion to the defense of Southwind. Surely with the tide of battle turning their way, no harm could come to his beloved child. The trap was sprung, Valstann was captured by the hiding qiraji and Southwind Village obliterated. Rajaxx himself took the captive Valstann to the front lines of the battle where — in front of Staghelm and the night elf forces — he brutally executed the young night elf. The war continued, but the will of the great leader was sapped. The whole of Silithus was soon engulfed by the silithid and their qiraji hosts. It took the help of the dragonflights themselves to finally defeat the Silithid defiance. Fandral, still in anguish over his son's death, cursed the qiraji and the dragons and threw the Scepter of the Shifting Sands upon the new barrier, breaking the sceptre into four pieces. Recent History With Malfurion missing, Fandral — the leader of those night elves who wished to plant the new World Tree — became the new archdruid. In no time at all, he and his fellow druids had forged ahead and planted the great tree, Teldrassil, off the stormy coasts of northern Kalimdor. Under their care, the tree sprouted up above the clouds. Among the twilight boughs of the colossal tree, the wondrous city of Darnassus took root. However, the tree was not consecrated with nature's blessing and soon fell prey to the corruption of the Burning Legion. Now the wildlife, and even the limbs of Teldrassil itself are tainted by a growing darkness. Regardless, to this date Fandral has proven to be an effective replacement for the missing Malfurion in strictly secular and iconic terms — none of Malfurion's confidants are exactly pleased. , the druid NPC found in Feathermoon Stronghold has raised concerns over the fact that Fandral Staghelm has been procuring vast amounts of the herb morrowgrain in the name of the Cenarion Circle. Fandral himself claims to be researching the properties of the grain when grown in the soil found in Un'Goro Crater. Though it is widely known that Staghelm is at odds with High Priestess Tyrande, only the highest ranking members of the Cenarion Circle and the Sisters of Elune are aware of just how far the disagreements extend — the two are locked in a bitter power struggle that has secretly polarized the night elf government. The Idol of Remulos Recently, Fandral met the druid and his human companion . Broll had returned to Darnassus to report the cleansing of the Idol of Remulos. Staghelm suggested that since Broll planned further quests with his friends, the Idol would be safer with the archdruid. Bearmantle agreed, though Lo'Gosh expressed doubts about Fandral's trustworthiness. The return of Malfurion Stormrage At some point in the months following the Lich King's defeat, Fandral gathers many druids to Teldrassil, unfolding a master plan to heal the giant tree. , and were among those he called. He intended to use the Idol of Remulos to achieve this, against Bearmantle's better judgement. Before the ritual could be completed, however, Tyrande arrived, having been warned by Elune that Malfurion's life was in greater danger than before. It is eventually revealed that Staghelm had been a pawn of the Emerald Nightmare's lord, , who sent a hallucination of Valstann to lead the archdruid astray. Staghelm had secretly been prolonging Malfurion's absence using . Worse yet, he was also responsible for the corruption and near-failure of Teldrassil, by secretly grafting a branch of Xavius's own Nightmare Tree onto the new World Tree in its infancy. When Malfurion finally broke free of the Nightmare, he revealed Fandral's madness and betrayal to the rest of the druids. After the Nightmare's defeat, the druids brought Staghelm to Moonglade in the hope that he would recover, though many suspected that his mind was permanently broken from losing Valstann a second time. Stormrage novel World Of Warcraft ]] Arch Druid Fandral Staghelm is a level ?? quest giver located at the Cenarion Enclave in the night elf city of Darnassus. Though Tyrande is the official leader (for lore and certain quests) of the night elves, Staghelm is designated as a faction leader in-game, and killing him will grant players an Honorable Kill. The reasons for this are unknown, though it may have something to do with the secret power struggle going on between him and Tyrande. Cataclysm From quests in Mount Hyjal it is revealed that Fandral is placed in a prison in Mount Hyjal, and this is shortly realized to be a bad idea, because of the immense power he possesses, cultists will be after him, to try and use him for their own devices. The player embarks on a quest to transfer him to a prison in Moonglade where the powerful Arch Druid remains until his mind can be regained, or for eternity. Quests He starts the following quests: * * * * He ends the following quests: * * * * * * *He is shown in during Attacks and abilities * (Radius: 25 yards) * * * Tactics One of the most difficult Alliance faction leaders, he appears to be a powerful Balance druid, using a 1 sec Wrath (1100-1300 Nature damage), Force of Nature (summons treants), and his most powerful ability: casts AoE Entangling Roots followed by an extremely potent Hurricane. Players who do not escape it as soon as possible will need serious healing to stay alive. Quotes ;Greeting *''Speak quickly, young one. I have urgent matters to attend.'' *''Tyrande has no idea how to lead our people.'' *''I have vision that she lacks.'' Fandral Staghelm's Silver Coin can be fished from the Dalaran fountain. It reads "The War of the Shifting Sands... I wish I could forget it ever happened." References Patches and hotfixes External links es:Fandral Staghelm fr:Fandral Forteramure Category:Night elf quest givers Category:Major characters Category:Lore characters Category:City bosses Category:Darnassus NPCs Category:Unique voices Category:Gates of Ahn'Qiraj Category:World of Warcraft (comic) characters Category:World of Warcraft: Stormrage characters Category:Druids